Originally Posted by bhrubin

You've quoted a post of mine from here on FlyerTalk, but you haven't at all referred to my post. That is confusing, to say the least.

We are on FlyerTalk, so I'd be grateful if you keep the conversation to what has been posted on FlyerTalk. Everything else has no context. I'm sorry if I used words not to your liking on other blogs, but I am not sure this is the proper place to have such a conversation.



Again, you are pulling information from outside FlyerTalk and asking me to comment without proper context.

But I'll try to answer. For hotels that currently cost 45,000 or 50,000 or 55,000 points or so, I doubt any will be moving into the new Category 8 that at peak can cost as many as 100,000 points. If you know the ins and outs of the Marriott program, then you know that not a single hotel that costs 45,000 points ever would have moved into even the Ritz Carlton Tier 5 category, either. So they aren't moving into the new Category 8.



You again are referring to some posts outside FlyerTalk. Without the context of those, it is impossible to know exactly what we're discussing.

If I do understand you correctly, you seem to believe that current Marriott category 7 hotels are somehow going to end up in the new Category 8. I find that so unlikely as to be not worth consideration. That isn't berating. That is my starkly different opinion.

I am not sure the point of your hypothetical for St Regis hotels becoming as pricey as 150,000 points. St Regis hotels aren't going up in cost by some insane number of points,. Of course, neither are most Marriott or Ritz Carlton properties. You are assuming a massive devaluation that just hasn't occurred. I believe the hysteria perpetuated by some of a massive devaluation simply isn't accurate. I believe your assessment of a 40% devaluation of Marriott points is also inaccurate and extremely misleading. I'm sorry that we so disagree.

As you and many Marriott elites are now discovering, the average daily rates for many of the luxury brand hotels in the SPG portfolio are significantly more than those of the luxury brands of Marriott/Ritz Carlton. The fact that even many W hotels and resorts have ADRs higher than those of many Ritz Carlton properties is no surprise to me, but it will be a surprise to many MR/RC elites. And that doesn't even consider the many top Luxury Collection and of course many St Regis properties. Too many RC people have assumed that RC was equivalent to St Regis. I'm willing to bet the new categories are going to make it more obvious that was isn't true.

With the ADRs and award demand taken together, the Unified Marriott chart is going to put a lot more St Regis and top Luxury Collection and W hotels (and even Design Hotels) in Category 8 than Ritz Carlton properties. All you need to do is look at the current Tier 5 RC properties and see that there are far more category 7 St Regis, Luxury Collection, Design Hotels, and W hotels in comparison. Everything else will filter down from there. There are going to be far more SPG portfolio properties in the Unified Marriott Category 7, too, though now I expect we will see plenty of Ritz Carlton properties joined by other Luxury Collection, St Regis, W, and Design hotels, as well as pricier Westin, Le Meridien, and even JW properties. If we see any JW properties in Category 8 I will be shocked.

This new reset is why there won't be the massive devaluation for Marriott/RC properties--because there just weren't nearly as many excellent 5* properties in the Marriott and even RC portfolios when compared with SPG! You don't seem to believe or recognize that yet.,..but I am certain you will once the new chart is revealed. Even these first chart releases already show this.



I had no idea about what types of hotels at which you stay. I think it's great that you will qualify for Ambassador status--which for you and any Marriott Platinums will be a very new experience. I wish you well with your new status, and hope you enjoy it as much as I have.